We Are One
by Nami Yamashita
Summary: Two different people, two different minds, one heart. I know I suck at summaries so read to find out. Pairings - Shikamaru x OC Makoto


Finally, some peace and quiet after a whole week of continuous missions. It is such a drag to work for days on end. It even gets more troublesome when you are assigned as the captain. That's what Shikamaru feels. There is nothing that isn't a drag or troublesome in this world except for Shogi. Even his team mates were a drag for him. But his bestfriend thought otherwise. Makoto, he smiled at the thought of her. She was an energy fuzz ball that always has a smile plastered on her face. Even when she sleeps her lips would be tugged upwards in a light smile.

_Sometimes situations could be troublesome, but if you look at it with a positive thought, even the most troublesome thing will turn out to be fine. Every lock has a key and that's why every problem has a solution._

When Makoto was explaining this to Shikamaru there was only one thing he said to her. A grunt followed by a muttered "troublesome". But that didn't affect her. She just giggled and let him be his lazy and nonchalant self or it wouldn't be the same Shikamaru she knew and loved. Yes, Makoto, the best friend of Shikamaru Nara loved him. Of course she never said this to him for quiet the obvious reasons; the fear of losing her friendship with him if he rejected, and so she kept it to herself.

Now, back to the present where Shikamaru was lying in his favorite field complaining in his head how their Lady Hokage can be a drag and was about to get back to his sleeping routine when he was rudely interrupted by a loud "SHIKAMARU!" and you guessed the culprit, Ino (sorry if you didn't guess it, not my fault ^_^" ). With an irritated grunt he opened his previously closed eyes but did not have the energy to raise his head and look back.

"Shikamaru have you seen Makoto?" Ino asked as she loomed over Shikamaru. He tilted his head a bit back to get a better view and muttered a lazy 'no'. "You have any idea where she could be?" she asked. Shikamaru was kind of getting annoyed with his team mate right about now.

"Did you check her house?" he asked. Normally he would have not bothered if it was anyone else. Why would he care where they were? But this is his best friend we're talking about, so he wasn't going to sit there and pretend not to care. Ino nodded. He sighed and got up from his position. "What a drag. I'll go and find her. You go back to the flower shop" he said as he dusted some of the grass that had managed to get on his vest while he was on the ground. Ino grinned and waved after an 'I'll catch you later Shikamaru'. He shook his head and smiled as he thought of the obvious place where she would be and the reason she was hiding from Ino and Sakura. She never really did enjoy their company. All they talk about were clothes, boys and Sasuke. It could get so annoying. And so, she tried to avoid them as best as she could. She did enjoy the female complany of Hinata and Tenten and that was enough for her.

Damn. Damn. Damn it! Stupid lake, stupid tree! Why wasn't it getting right? Makoto scrunched her eyebrows as she tried for the sixth time to draw the scenery that was in front of her. A beautiful sparkling blue lake with a sakura blossom grown by the side. A few petals slowly flying away by the wind. It was so hard to sketch the damn thing! Maybe her eyesight was going weak! Na! That wouldn't be the case, if so; she wouldn't be able to see Shikamaru standing a little far from her, leaning on a tree and smirking at her…wait! What? Makoto looked up from her sketch pad to see Shikamaru smirking at her annoyed form. She raised an eyebrow at him as if asking 'what? Is someone getting annoyed so amusing to watch? He rolled his eyes, understanding her silent question and walked up to her in slow lazy steps. When he stood at her side, she caught his wrist and pulled him down to sit beside her.

Shikamaru leaned back on his arms and took a look at what Makoto was sketching. The sketch looked beautiful. The lake seemed to shine in the picture. Everyone used to say that Makoto's hands were magical at painting. Every picture she drew would be magical that would look like it's about to come to life. Even Shikamaru who had no interest in such subjects would be amazed at what she could do. You could even smell the flowers she drew. Even the sketches, without the colours, looked just as beautiful and realistic.

"You'll get it in no time. You always do" Shikamaru spoke as his head tilted up to watch the clouds float by. Makoto let a grin spread across her tanned face. Her eyes twinkled at his words. He might be very lazy but he would put his life on the line for his friends. He was trustworthy, responsible and as Asuma says the Will of Fire burns in him.

"Hey Shika, how about we play a game of Shogi afterwards?" she said as her eyes drifted from the sketch to her best friend beside her.

"I'd love to. But I can't. Temari is coming from the Sand Village to help me with the Chunin exams and am in charge of her" he said as he got up from the spot.

Since Shikamaru's back was turned towards her he did not see Makoto's grin disappear instantly and he definitely didn't notice the frown that tugged at her lips at his words as her eyes casted towards the ground.

"Oh" she muttered under her breath. She mentally sighed. Temari. Shikamaru always seemed interested in her. Why wouldn't he be? She was strong, powerful, tough, intelligent and had good curves. Not that Makoto was lacking in any of this. She herself was really strong. Heck she is a jounin! She was intelligent enough to almost beat Shikamaru in shogi and she was beautiful. Maybe not the super model beauty that all girls wished for but her beauty was simple and natural. Her skin was tanned, she had dark hair that would always be loose and complimented her complexion very well, her eyes were an ocean blue and she had beetroot red lips. She might have a very childish face but her deep blue eyes were very intense. Her glare could make you pee in your pants. Everything matched her features perfectly and she was not skinny obsessed like Ino. She had flesh on her bones that made her look really healthy.

"I'll see you later then" Shikamaru's voice broke her chain of thoughts.

"Of course!" she replied with a fake smile and a cheery voice. And after she was sure that Shika had disappeared from the line of sight or hearing she let out a long sigh of irritation and the frown returned to her lips. "Stupid feelings. They will become the end of me" she spoke out in a loud whisper.

The sun had set and the darkness had fallen across the sky. The final light of the day dissapeared and the stars started to shimmer in the inky black sky as far as the eye could see. Makoto's head tilted to the sky and her eyes twinkled at the sight of the stars. What a beauty! Too bad Shikamaru wasn't here to see this. He would normally have been there, like the rest of the nights, they both would have lied down together and watched it. Makoto sighed and got up, her eyes darted to the ground as another frown tugged her lips. He must be spending his time with Temari. Temari, she thought with a little anger as the hold on her sketchpad tightened. She let out a deep sigh again. She was not a person to bottle up anger or even feel that way towards a person, unless of course that person tried to kill her loved ones or threaten her, then all mercy from her would vanish as fast as a star that falls across the sky.

She started her short walk home. A cool breeze swiping across her face and running through her hair. The leaf village was a bright and energetic place but the nights were chilly. If Shikamaru was there, she would walk close to him and enjoy his warmth. _Damn it! What's wrong with me? _She thought as she kept walking. Nowadays, she finds herself fantasizing about Shikamaru all the time. Was it true? Was she really falling for her best friend? A tug at her heart answered her question and she froze in her spot for a second before continuing her walk home. Looks like she did.

"Makoto!" came Sakura's voice from a distance. Makoto sat up straight from where she was lying down to greet the pink-haired kunoichi. The girl approached her with a smile and the dark haired girl stood up. "Lady Tsunade needs you and guess who returned?" Sakura asked with a smile playing across her face. That was enough for Makoto to know. She grinned with knowing and headed for the hokage tower.

"Enter" the older woman spoke from the other side of the door as Makoto knocked. She opened the door and her eyes widened as she saw the blonde- whisker-faced, hyperactive ninja standing there with a goofy grin plastered on his lips as usual.

"Naruto!" the girl squealed and the next thing he knew, her body smashed his in a half-tackle. Naruto grinned and hugged her back. "It's so good to see you! My! You've grown taller" she said with a smile after releasing the boy from her grip. He nodded and just then the door swung open to reveal Shikamaru and of course the sand ninja herself, Temari. Shikamaru's smile faded quickly and he glared at the boy.

"Makoto, I need you to deliver this to Genma. He has gone on a mission. If you set out now, it won't take too long before finding him." Tsunade spoke as she handed a scroll to her. She bowed and they all left the building. Once they were all out, Naruto squint his eyes at Shikamaru and Temari and leaned close to them.

"So are you like….uhhhh…dating or something?" he asked them but loud enough for Makoto to hear. They both denied it but it was enough to make her blood boil. She was jealous. So very jealous. She turned the other way so that neither Shikamaru, nor Temari could see her expression. But it wasn't the expression of a jealous person; it was the one of hopelessness for she knew that Shikamaru would never fall for an energetic buzz-ball like her. She closed her eyes for a moment to regain control of herself.

"I better head out and catch Genma. Best if I dont delay it " she said and jumped onto the rooftops and leaped from one roof to the other till she got home. Naruto, Shikamaru and Temari were left looking at the spot where Makoto was a minute ago. Shikamaru though, knitted his eyebrows together in confusion at Makoto's strange behavior. Her voice sounded troubled and disappointed. An average minded person would not have noticed it; then again, he is nothing average, his IQ is better than anyone else in the leaf village. And he knew her better than anyone else.

Damn it Genma! Where are you? Makoto thought as she leaped from tree to tree and scanned the area below for any sign of Genma or his chakra. Why wasn't she getting any chakra? She was supposed to! Did something go wrong? Is Genma….dead or something? It can't be. As she picked up her pace, she sensed a very weak chakra from afar. And it seemed like the chakra signature of…. Genma. Her eyes widened and she leaped to the ground and headed to where the chakra was coming from. She ran fast at ninja speed to the spot and a gasp left her lips when she saw Genma sitting on the ground leaning against a tree. His chunin vest had blood on them. Either his or the enemy's. His shoulder had a pretty bad gash and his eyes were closed. His chest was heaving up and down in deep breaths. He must have been out of a fight. Makoto ran to him as his name left her lips in a whisper. She sat in front of him and examined him. The next thing she knew was that Genma had pressed a kunai towards her neck. Her body became rigid for a minute and then she leaped back to gain a little distance between her and the shinobi. What was that about? Maybe he thought it might have been an enemy shinobi.

"Sorry. Reflexes" he managed to choke out. She let out a breath and came near him. She held both her palms a little above his gash and started emitting a green chakra. Genma winced from the sting when her chakra met his wound. After about six minutes, his arm was healed well and he could stand on his own two feet again.

"You're really good at this" he complimented as he swung his arm in circles to check how much of his shoulder healed. Apparently, it was healed very well.

"Am not a jounin for nothing you know?" she teased. "But let's stop about me. How did you get into a situation like this? Who did this to you?" she asked after she handed him the scroll.

"Rogue ninjas. They attacked me." He said as he held a senbon between his lips. Genma was no ordinary ninja. He was a jounin. Those ninjas that attacked him must have been strong. She handed him the scroll and he read through it. "You're mission is done, you should get back and give this to Lady Tsunade" he said as he handed her a scroll.

"Was that the scroll you were supposed to retrieve?" she asked as she took it from him.

"There were two of them. A shinobi got the other scroll. I should get it back. You on the other hand should return. Get there and give this to Tsunade. It's important and do tell her that I need a backup cell." He ordered. She nodded and took off as fast as she could. Genma needed help. She has to get there as fast as she could and send some ninja's to help him. And with that she picked up her pace and headed back to the Leaf.

"Lady Tsunade!" Makoto yelled as she banged open the door. The older woman looked up from her paperwork not angered by the sudden entrance. It wasn't the first time she made such a dramatic appearance. "Genma needs help now! You need to send out ninja's to back him up!" she said as she handed Tsunade the scroll. Tsunade looked through it and nodded, giving orders to Shizune to get three jounin there immediately.

Makoto watched from the top of the tower as the three shinobi headed out the gate's village to aid Genma. _Be safe. _She sighed. The sudden urge to see Shikamaru came up and she thought it would be nice to see him. It might not have been more than five hours but she was already missing him and started walking towards his home. She knew he would be at his house either playing shogi or snoring. The latter part might be truer. She shook her head playfully at the thought. Her best friend was so lazy, the complete opposite of her. They were like two very different people. They were like two peas in a pod that DIDN'T match! She loved to be energetic and keep herself busy while he just liked to slack off. She would be the one who does most of the talking and he would listen. She would always push him into doing stuff and he would complain about what a troublesome friend he got. They always say opposite attracts and friends become more after a ti- ….. her thoughts were cut off as she saw Shikamaru…..with Temari. Her lips planted on his and he didn't even make the slightest move to pull away. Makoto froze in place before turning away. Her heart tightened painfully in her chest and tears were stinging at the corner of her eyes. She let her feet carry her fast from there as the tears started to roll down her tanned face. She didn't make a move to stop them and she didn't notice where she was going. She just wanted to get far from there. Far from them. She made no move to stop until she banged onto someone. She stepped a little back to see who it was and caught the shocked gaze of Ino.

"Makoto? What happened? Why are you crying?" she started questioning the girl. Makoto didn't answer, instead she ran past Ino. She looked at her friend with worry and headed for where she was going before. Just as same as Makoto did, as she rounded the corner, she saw Shikamaru and Temari standing too close for comfort. Ino's eyebrows knitted together in confusion but then her eyes widened as realization hit her. If Makoto was crying because she saw that, then that means she… Ino's hand curled into fists, she hunched her shoulders a little and started to tremble from anger. How dare they…!

"SHIKAMARU YOU ASS!" She screamed in a way that it could be heard till Suna and charged at the unsuspecting boy. He turned his head in time for his cheek to meet Ino's fist. It sent the poor boy flying backwards until he hit the ground with a 'thud'.

"You idiot! How could you do something like that to her?" Ino started yelling. Shikamaru sat there with a confused gaze etched on his face as he rubbed his bruising cheek. "Makoto saw you kiss Temari! She is in love with you! You just broke her heart! How could you do that to your best friend?" Shikamaru's face turned from confusion to utter disbelief to regression. Damn it all! "You know Shikamaru, for a genius you are really a fool" she said and turned her back to him and walked away in menacing steps. Shikamaru got up and ran as fast as he could to Makoto. He knew where she would be. He knew her like the back of his hand.

Makoto pulled her knees up to her chest. Her hands folded above them and chin resting on them. The tears rolled down her face like crystals and fell onto the ground. Her back was shaking as she sobbed. The thought of them both, the thought of him…. It all angered her and broke her heart at the same time. She was such a fool! She knew she could never be with Shikamaru and yet she let herself fall for him carelessly. What an idiot.

What an idiot! How could he let himself do that? How could he break his best friend's heart? All he wanted was to make her smile and right now he had done the complete opposite! The girl he admired, the one he fell in love with. Oh yes that's right. Shikamaru was in love with the troublesome baka that was Makoto. But he kept it to himself. It would be a drag to tell her and if she wouldn't feel the same way it would just become more troublesome. But seeing that he didn't voice his feelings made him feel like a giant idiot and made him feel that it was one of the cruelest things to do to her. He stopped as he reached his destination and saw her sitting by the lake. Her sniffles and sobs could be heard and a tight clench was felt in his chest. He really did mess up didn't he?

"Makoto?" he called her name softly. He saw her stiffen for a moment then relaxes. After a moment she turned around, her face dry but her eyes were blood shot and that was enough proof for the lazy genius to know she was crying her heart out.

"Shika! I didn't hear you coming." Her voice was all happy and excited. But he knew the truth. He knew behind that happy façade was a broken heart. And she wasn't angry at him for what he did to her. She was happy as always and inviting. She stood up as Shikamaru walked up to her. His face wasn't that same bored and ignorant one; in fact his eyes were filled with concern and begging for apology.

Makoto looked up to him as he came close. She smiled. "What's wrong Shika?" she asked concerned. Shikamaru didn't speak instead he cupped her cheek with his hand and caressed the light skin with his fingers. He used his other hand to pull her close against him by wrapping them around her waist. "Shikama-" Makoto's words got cut as Shikamaru placed his lips on hers. They were soft and warm. Her eyes widened in shock and her heart started to beat fast. _What's wrong with him? Is he trying to play with me? _She thought. Shikamaru pulled away to look into her shocked face, not at all bothered by the lack of response from her. Why would he expect a response? He just broke her heart.

"Am sorry" he whispered. Makoto stood there gapping at him like an idiot. "What you saw with Temari….."he looked down and trailed of. He didn't know how to explain to her that he didn't mean for that kiss to happen. Naruto earlier bumped into Temari and caused her to fall on him, crashing their lips in the process. Though Temari was enjoying it, Shikamaru was too shocked to pull away but when he finally did it was too late.

"Shikamaru it's alright. I don't have a problem if you like Temari and if that kiss was just an apology then I'm afraid you just wasted your time."

Shikamaru's head snapped up. "No! That kiss was to say that…. I love you" he confessed. This was all getting so troublesome. "That kiss was an accident. I didn't mean to kiss her and I was too shocked to pull away. I don't like Temari, I love you" he finally let it off his shoulders. Boy! Did he feel relieved! Makoto smiled and hugged him.

"Idiot" she mumbled on to his shoulder.

"That was such a drag you know?"

She pulled away a bit to look at him and crashed her lips onto his. He didn't take time to respond and kissed her back with equal passion and love. He pulled her body flush against his. Shikamaru might have broken her heart temporarily but he did heal them. They both might have been two very different people but when it came to loving each other they were one.


End file.
